The Kindness Circle at San Francisco Waldorf High School

The warmth of kindness caressed me the moment I woke up this morning, thinking gratefully how life bestowed on me such an opportunity to join the Kindness Circle with the students at the San Francisco Waldorf High School. Each moment after that kept surprising me with its openness and its depth.

Andy, who gave me a ride to meet Anne, accepted Anne's spontaneous invitation and joined us! On the way to San Francisco, Anne, who started her first kindness circle five years ago at Tam High in Mill Valley, shared how she knew ServiceSpace through Sam, who one day said, "I met a man who made me want to cry." Anne thought, I want to meet this man too. That man was Nipun Mehta. Later, Anne dove into the exploration of gift economy 101 and felt she found her family. 

At the school, the kindness team (Anne, Audrey, Pancho, Eva, Vishesh, Jaune, Immanual, Andy and me) had a chance to meditate and check in before the circle. The actual circling up with the high school seniors was an unexpected profound experience.

After their routine morning verse, the invitation to the silence of gratitude led by student Yomi in the beginning set well the tone of the circle. The insightful sharing from the students amazed me! Their gratitude for the support of their families and their mothers was sincere and touching. One student shared how thankful she was for the breakfast that was prepared for her. And others expressed gratitude for the sky, the stars, water and silence, the opportunities they have for their future, and even not being able to see far. 

The reading of Allegiance to Gratitude, used by the indigenous people to give thanks to the land, from the book Braiding Sweetgrass, moved the circle further to share deeper stories.

Pancho started off the sharing with the story of three students from this circle offered fresh oranges as a gift during one night to Casa de Paz, where the door never locked in a "unsafe" neighborhood. And one of them, Yomi, left a note:

Casa de Paz Family!

Me, Milo and Audrey, picked these from the tree in my yard with you in mind. They are super juicy and just the right amount of sour and they make great juice. I would like for you to accept these as a gift from the San Francisco Waldorf High School Class 2017 for all the amazing work you do for the World. I hope you all enjoy the oranges!

With love + admiration,
Yomi Oringunwa :-)

Audrey shared her experience in India, feeling anxious at first about not contributing enough, but later realized that her mere peaceful presence was enough. Immanual shared the boundless kindness he and his wife received when they left home in New Orleans to escape from Hurricane Katrina, while expecting their first born. The new community that adopted them welcomed their first born with pure kindness. A student shared about the red-tail hawk which showed up on her brother's funeral and also her own birth, tears came down my cheeks. How our lives are interconnected in mythical ways! 

After Eva beautifully introduced the rock picking activity, the student sitting next to me held tight the rock he picked and then smelled it again and again, and then he took his friend's rock and smelled. I knew from this day on, his relationship with rock would not be the same as before. 

May we all find our own unique rocks and ground ourselves in kindness and gratitude to embrace each fresh moment. May more Kindness Circles spring forth and ripple far.